Fried Circuits
by sodnam
Summary: Penny gets struck by lightning, and with her friend on the brink of death, Ruby needs to face her fear of abandonment. (My first fic, kinda crap/shameless fluff, I should try to rewrite this sometime...)
1. Lightning Struck

**Hey guys. This is my first attempt at a fanfiction, hopefully it doesn't suck too much.**

 **It started as a one-shot Nuts and Dolts fic (RubyxPenny), but I may have gone a little overboard, and eventually decided to chop it in smaller chapters. Right now it's mostly just angsty-Ruby, but that should change in the near future.**

 **By the way, in case it wasn't obvious, I do not own RWBY or it's characters.**

* * *

 **1\. Lightning Struck**

Rain was falling heavily outside, much to Blake's pleasure, who sat leaning against the wall, completely engrossed in her book. The weather was soothing, and even the roar of a distant thunder was not enough to disturb the mood. She was, after all, used to ignoring the noise, just as she was tuning out the intense commotion inside the gymnasium.

 _BUZZ BUZZ_

The sudden movement on the scroll besides her caused her to jump slightly in surprise. She reached out to grab it, as she glanced upwards at her partner.

"Ya- FOR OUM'S SAKE YANG, THE PUNCHING BAG IS ON FIRE AGAIN!" She yelled at the blonde girl, who quickly snapped out of the exercise-induced trance and realized what she'd just done. Blake chuckled lightly at the brawler desperately trying to find a fire extinguisher, and answered the call.

"Ruby? Is everything okay?" The black-haired huntress sprung to her feet as soon as she heard the younger teammate's voice, a high pitched sound punctuated by evident sobbing. Something had clearly happened, but her friend was in no state to explain it, hardly able to speak coherently. "We're coming to get you, where are you?" She asked, hoping to get at least partially clear directions, and luckily that's exactly what came from the other side.

"We're on our way." She put her partner's scroll away, and promptly grabbed the girl's arm, catching her attention. Yang saw worry in the Faunus' eyes, and looked back inquisitively.

"It's Ruby…" That's all she needed to hear.

* * *

Yang drove as fast as she could to her sister's location. The rain made the road slippery, but her bike wasn't exactly standard issue, tweaked to maintain stability even in the harshest environment.

When they reached the meeting place, she practically leaped off the motorcycle, making her way towards the silhouette of the red-hood. What she saw made her shiver in shock.

Ruby was sitting on the floor, her cape slightly shredded, and her face angled downwards, shrouded in darkness. Resting on her arms was Penny, her robotic friend. Or, at least, _what was left of her_.

Penny's clothing had mostly burned off, and the metal underneath was showing. Her right arm was torn apart from her body, hanging by a few loose wires, sparks flying out menacingly. Other parts of her anatomy looked just as damaged, but the most distressing detail was definitely her lifeless face. Her eyes were still open, but frozen in place. In fact, she wasn't moving at all. It gave her the distinct look of a corpse.

A slight touch from Blake brought the older sister back to life, and they hurried to help the team leader to her feet. The black-haired girl carried Ruby towards Bumblebee, while Yang flipped the switch to extend the side car, which unfolded from inside the vehicle. Perks of having a gun-nut for a sister. Ruby was still clinging to Penny, as they sat her down, and, for the first time, they noticed the tears rolling down her face. It seemed the girl still hadn't stopped crying since the call.

* * *

Weiss was alone in the dorm, going over her notes from class. She wondered where her other teammates where at this late hour, but she was sure they had a good reason. They might not be as invested into the lectures as she was, but they certainly didn't slack. As her thoughts drifted away from her studies, the door slammed open, and Blake came inside, drenched to the bone. The heiress had a question on her lips, but the gaze returned to her by the dark-haired girl begged her not to voice it, and she soon found out why. Behind her came the two sisters, equally soaked, and carrying Penny's motionless body.

Ruby gently lowered the robotic girl onto the bed, and took a step back, with a sullen expression in her face. Her eyes looked red and wet, but whether from tears or simply the rain, it was impossible to tell.

"What happened?" Weiss asked, as she grabbed the speedster's shoulder, trying to offer sympathy. Ruby did not answer, but turned to face her partner and hugged her. Her clothes were still dripping, which was extremely uncomfortable, but the Ice Queen did nothing to push her away. When the embrace broke apart, Ruby sat down and explained, with a frail voice, fighting back the sorrow of recollecting the evening's events.

Penny and her had met up to spend some time together, and just as the sun set, the rain had begun to fall. The android was covered in fake skin, water was as little damaging to her as it would be to any human, so the girls decided to not let that stand between their plans. They were walking through the street, both covered beneath the red cloak, when lightning struck.

Atlas was a cold land, but dry, and snow was the only form of precipitation they had. The fake skin was not enough to protect Penny's metal core, and her inner machinery became a makeshift lightning rod, calling upon her the might of the storm. She would've normally been able to handle some electricity, but nature's wrath was too strong, as if to punish her for being synthetic.

The team looked shaken by the tale, and silence took over them. Inevitably, Blake was the one to break it.

"What are you going to do now?" She asked, glancing at the pieces of their common acquaintance.

The leader's silver eyes immediately discarded the tired and pained look, and determination made its way onto her face.

"I'm going to rebuild her."

* * *

Sleep did not come easily that night, as the unease still lingered, due to both the fate of the Atlesian Droid, and the emotional trainwreck that was their team leader. She appeared to have slightly recovered from the shock, but her resolve was steeped in denial, burying the pain deep within her from fear of collapsing.

The morning came, and the air was still tense within the dorm, as none of the students felt rested. After a short breakfast, where team JNPR had fruitlessly tried making awkward small talk, the girls managed to convince Doctor Oobleck to allow them access into a storage space, so they could turn It into a temporary workshop for Ruby. He did not make any questions, seemingly satisfied with the excuse of a project for Glynda's class. If he caught their lie, he did not bother to complain.

They carefully transported Penny to the work station, and the red-hooded huntress dove right in, shutting off any external contact. Her concentration was cold and, at best, a _little_ distressing. Even when working on her scythe, Ruby never got so quiet, the excitement bursting out as she tweaked her beloved weapon. Now, there was only a ruthless drive, and absolute silence.

Despite trading a few concerned looks, her teammates left her to it, hoping this exercise would at the very least help the leader vent her grief. Sadly, they did not understand just how deep that very same grief ran.

* * *

The speedster did not show up in any of the classes that day. No one saw her at lunch either, and by the time the sun started to set, her absence went from motive of concern to downright panic.

The team visited her refuge, and found her, still standing by the robot's corpse, a mess of tools and parts all around them. She didn't even notice them entering, pacing around the room and occasionally mumbling to herself.

"Ruby?" The heiress was the one who reached out, her blue eyes seeking the silver gaze she was accustomed to. Her partner did not look up.

"Oh Weiss, you're here. I didn't see you get in." The white-haired girl flinched clearly at the lack of emotion in her friend. It sounded… _icy_ , almost like talking to a mirror of herself.

"Any progress?" Blake took the reins, seeing how shaken it had left Weiss.

"Oh, yeah. I made some major repairs to her arm, it only needs some welding on the joints and it'll be ready to use again." A little light creeped back into her expression, as she reviewed her day's work.

"You didn't show up at class today…" for the first time, Ruby looked up at her roommates, directing a confused glance at the faunus girl.

"Did I miss Port's lecture? Sorry, I must've lost track of time."

"Screw Port, you missed lunch and dinner, Ruby!" Yang burst out, incapable of continuing with this charade "Have you eaten anything at all today? You look pale as hell, sis!"

"I'm sorry Yang, I just…" she looked back at the repair table, donning a dark expression once again, "…wasn't very hungry today."

"Damnit Rubes, you can't simply shut yourself here all day! You are going to eat and sleep now, even if I need to drag you out of this room myself" She screamed, a flash of red in her eyes.

Ruby knew better than to argue when her sister was like this, so she complied. After faintly pecking at a meal, that took all of the brawler's self-control not to shove down her sister's mouth, they brought her to the dorm, and she collapsed instantly, drained from how far she was pushing herself.

But when dawn came, they found her bed empty.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. Reviews are welcome, considering I'm new here and would very much like to know if this was half-decent or not.**


	2. Cold Hard Steel

**Another chapter only 24 hours later! Am I writing these too fast? Probably.**

 **It was suggested to me not to use such an omnipresent narrator, so I decided to let Weiss behind the wheel on this one, as a sort of experiment in style. She was already going to play a big role in this part, so she'll be giving the perspective for most of the chapter.**

* * *

 **2\. Cold Hard Steel**

The following week was hard on all of them. Any attempts to force Ruby back to reality were either fruitless or merely temporary solutions, and the redhead would be back at the workshop in a flash. In all honesty, Weiss couldn't take it anymore.

Homework was the only thing keeping her mind focused, and even the heiress knew that wasn't healthy. Still, if she didn't keep busy, her thoughts would start to drift back to her partner, working herself till exhaustion in that tiny and lonely room. She understood why, but it bothered her nonetheless, as would've been expected. Deep down she did not deserve the title of Ice Queen, even if only a handful of people knew that.

The other teammates were really not helping either. Yang would spend all spare time she had in the gym, whacking furiously at the punching bags, trying to vent all the frustration building inside her. As much as she would've enjoyed the company, Weiss preferred letting the brawler do her thing, especially after the last sparring practice, that warranted Cardin a trip to infirmary after Yang completely lost all control and beat him senseless, until Glynda managed to restrain her, long after his aura had completely depleted.

Blake on the other hand, appeared to take a much different approach to the problem at hand. Between the long hours she spent looking after Yang, making sure she didn't burn down the entire building, and the time she quietly sat at the dorm reading, she didn't look the least bit affected by her leader's condition. It was all a bust, and Weiss knew it. She was pretending nothing was wrong, fleeing from issues was what the faunus did best, she had said it herself, but a fleeting concern was still noticeable in her eyes each night when the team decided to go to rest. If denial was her way of dealing with the pain, the white-haired girl was not about to ruin that in order to soothe her own.

Team JNPR were helping in any way they could, covering for them when things got worse and giving a hand with school assignments, but she didn't feel ready to open up to them. Trust was slow and difficult for the Schnee huntress, and as much as she wanted to, showing weakness was another pain altogether.

Simply put, she felt alone. Normally she would've had Ruby to help her through it, their relationship had certainly evolved a great deal since the initiation. The hooded girl's warmth and energetic personality had become a welcome presence in her life, even if she would've never said so directly, still hiding under the guise of cold and emotionless. Not that she could fool her partner, but it remained as a sort of gag between them. But without her friend, she had no company but the void of her emotions.

And Oum be dammed if she didn't miss that blabbering fool.

* * *

As she reached the door of the storage room, Weiss realized she was visibly shaking. She stopped for a second, trying to calm the nerves before entering the red-hood's quarters. The team had a non-verbal agreement to have one of them check in with Ruby every few hours, bringing her food, keeping her company, and making sure her mood hadn't taken a turn for the worse, pushing her over the edge.

" _Damnit Weiss, get it together"_ she thought to herself, trying to bury her feelings under a smile. Slowly, she reached for the door and let herself in, ignoring the acute pain in her chest at the sight before her.

Ruby was leaning over her mechanical project, wrench in hand. Her face looked pale, small bags under her focused eyes. It was a strange sight, that the little girl could look small and frail, but at the same time bearing a tired look that aged her a few years. Weiss did not dare to look at her figure, fearing finding her to have lost weight in the midst of this crisis.

Her hair seemed to glisten a little under the lamp. Apparently Yang had been successful in her plan to drag her to the shower earlier, hopefully without the use of force.

Penny certainly looked better, all limbs properly attached, and most breaches fixed. It was almost as if she was sucking the life out of Ruby, restoring herself at the cost of the dedicated friend, even if her body still remained motionless.

"Hey Ruby…" she said in a gentle tone, approaching the workstation. The redhead gave her a tired smile to acknowledge her presence, but did not turn away from her endeavor.

"Ren made you pancakes. Nora didn't even try to eat them. They're worried about you." She lay the plate down at the edge of the table, within reach of the repairwoman, but not so close as to impose them on her " _I'm_ worried about you…"

She generally wouldn't have been so blunt, but it had been a harsh couple of days, and she _needed_ her partner back.

Ruby finally stopped what she was doing, facing her companion, her beautiful silver eyes filled with panic.

"I'm so close, Weiss! I fixed most power leaks and replaced all the damaged parts. I even designed an upper layer of skin, to shield her against electricity. But…" her vision clouded, trying to fight back the tears, but, alas, it was too much and the youngster broke down "…it's impossible, I can't do it!"

The fencer swallowed hard, clenching her fists to stop herself from joining her friend in tears. She considered embracing her, offering physical comfort, but succumbing to emotions wouldn't help either of them right now. Instead, a different idea flourished into her mind. She stood up straight, and, against all odds, managed to silence the screaming agony inside her and force a determined expression on her face.

"What do you mean, you can't do it? You've been at this for says, you can't give up now! I won't let you!" her voice came out a little more loudly than intended, almost yelling at the speedster, but it provoked the intended effect. The short-haired student looked up in shock, no longer crying, unsure of what was happening.

"There'd be better be a good explanation for this! What kind of task are you facing that not even the great mechanic Ruby Rose can accomplish? Oh come on, spill it!" She demanded impatiently with a stern look at her partner, who was still regaining her composure. After wiping the tears off and breathing deeply, she spoke, at long last.

"That's just it. I'm a mechanic, not a computer engineer. I can make the body functional again, but her damages go all the way to her circuits, and I can't fix that. I don't know how to." A chuckle came back as a response "Hum, Weiss, what are you doing?"

"That's it? Damnit Ruby, this is what you get for trying to rely on no one but yourself." Her words reached the red-hood, but only a confused glance replied back. She promptly pushed the team leader off her seat and claimed it as her own. "Let me have a look."

They were both still for a few minutes, Weiss tinkering with the machine, and Ruby evidently surprised at what was going on before her, as well as slightly concerned about someone else touching her work.

After a while, the heiress flipped a switch and a jolt of energy was sent through the metallic corpse, causing the legs to move. She turned, with a victorious smile in her lips, and wide unbelieving eyes stared back at her. There was a spark in that glare, and the white-haired girl's grin widened further, fueled by the indescribable feeling of having just restored hope to the heart of her teammate.

"What the… How did you do that?" The girl practically jumped, even though her muscles weren't strong enough for such drastic movement.

"Ruby, what do computers run on? Dust, you dolt. My father's company doesn't just mine it, most applications were invented by our Resource and Development department." Doubt was plastered all across the squad mate's face, so she felt obliged to proceed.

"Okay, there may have been a tech guy I used to flirt with." She embarrassedly turned away from the other girl and towards the robotic corpse, a rose tint creeping towards her cheeks. "It was mostly to upset my father, I had no interesting in him. Still, he taught me a thing or two."

She jumped when she felt the redhead hugging her from behind, completely dropping her focused expression when a soft head leaned to quietly rest on her shoulder. Physical contact still made her flinch, not being used to it, but it _was_ Ruby after all, so she made no attempt to break it off. It took all her willpower to concentrate back on the task in front of her, despite the distractingly comfortable warmth emanating from the team leader's embrace.

They stayed like this until Weiss was finally satisfied with her work. All parts were now mostly functional, despite the android still being shut down. Her motion to stand up provoked Ruby to step away, and, to her great surprise, smile back at her roommate.

"I think I've done all, I can." She started to fill the mechanic in on what had been happening. "Luckily her central processing unit was still undamaged, so her primary functions weren't erased. I ran her through a program the Schnee Corporation _kindly_ sent me, - you totally owe one, by the way - so she'll be running updates through the dustnet. She should be good to go in the morning."

"Thank you, Weiss." The hooded figure was almost at the verge of tears again, but this time a grateful smile graced her gentle features.

"Well, it's late anyway, I think I'm heading back to the dorm. You coming?"

"I'm just going to apply some finishing touches, I'll be there in a bit." The speedster radiated despite her evident tiredness.

The heiress nodded and walked to the door, but was stopped by the sound of her name.

"Weiss?" She turned to see what her partner wanted "Thanks again."

"All right, you dunce, I heard you the first time" She replied with a mocking smirk, and walked out the room.

Despite not being accompanied, the trip back to the dorm did not feel lonely at all. She was still grinning when she opened the door.

"Well, what's gotten you so happy all of a sudden?" Yang asked, absolutely puzzled.

* * *

Ruby never did make it back to their room that night. When she finished the final repairs, her body ached all over, and her mind had all but abandoned her, so going elsewhere was out of question.

Instead, she crawled near Penny's now whole body, and cuddled against her chest. It was cold and hard steel, but she was barely awake to notice, neither did she care, dozing off instantly. She also did not notice, a few hours later, the pair of metallic arms that slowly wrapped around her.

* * *

 **I seriously had to stop myself from writing "She also did not notice, a few hours later, a pair of metallic arms slowly wrapping around her _until it was too late._ " That would've been an entirely different fic... **

**On a more serious note, I kinda like the way this chapter ended. I had planned another 2 chapters for this, but if it stopped here it wouldn't be a bad finale.**

 **Let me know what you guys think, if the new style was good (or noticeable at all) and if I should keep going. And thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed.**


	3. Synthetic Green Eyes

**Ask and you shall recieve!  
**

 **This is the middle point of the story (current, and hopefully final, count is 5 planned chapters), so I decided to make something more light-hearted. Don't worry the plot is still advancing, but I think it's the first time no one cries in this fic. Except maybe me.**

 ** **It was supposed to be a shorter chapter, but haha as if I had any self-control.** That and there may have been a plot point I forgot to add in the previous episode, so I had to figure out a strategy to fix it without Retconning. I like how it turned out, it's even better than the original script. I guess not everything needs to go just according to keikaku.**

 **I actually finished writing yesterday, but I was so sleep deprived that I decided to wait until today so I could make sure it wasn't just incoherent babbling. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **3\. Synthetic Green Eyes**

The cafeteria was strangely quiet that morning. Most other students were already gone, leaving teams WBY and JNPR all to themselves, dragging their breakfasts for as long as they could. Blake, due to her enhanced senses, was the first to hear the footsteps nearing. She looked up and smiled towards the silhouette who approached them, but made no effort to mention it to the others. The petite girl seemed to appreciate that small gesture, the calm before the storm that immediately followed.

"Is that…" Pyrrha started, but was promptly cut off by a joyous scream from beside her.

"RUBY!" They barely had time to register the direction from which the shout came, before a Nora-sized projectile hit the red-hooded girl, forcing her to make a fast acquaintance with the pavement. Blake chuckled at the absurd scene below her, before running over with the rest of the team members to unglue the lightning ginger from her prey.

"You okay?" Yang asked, looking amusedly at her sister.

"Help… meeee" the speedster replied, reaching a hand upwards in an overdramatic gesture, causing a round of general laughter from her audience. _That's Ruby alright_ , the faunus thought to herself. _Good to have you back_.

As they moved over to the table, allowing RWBY's leader to fill her plate with food, tension lifted noticeably from everyone's shoulders. Ren shot an accusing look at his childhood friend, who shrugged embarrassedly. The black haired girl observed the newcomer closely. She still had slight bags under her eyes, a badge of the days spent at the workshop, and the tiredness had not yet left her completely, despite her evident recovery. It was comforting to see their friend had finally snapped out of her consuming grief.

"So, how's Penny?" As always, Blake was the one to speak. She was comfortable with silence, but beating around the bush wouldn't go anywhere, and that question was on everybody's minds.

"Oh she's great, she's just rusnifng-" Ruby struggled to answer, her mouth filled with so much food it looked about to burst. It was as if she hadn't seen food for a week, which, in all fairness, was mostly true. The huntress swallowed down fast, and continued her excited speech. "She's just running a couple of diagnostics. But she's awake and working again!" Her eyes gleamed with joy, it was almost _too_ adorable.

"Well, we'll let you guys catch up." Jaune announced as he stood up, preparing to leave the room, backed by a quiet nod from Pyrrha. "It's great to have you back, Ruby."

Nora prepared to argue, clearly unhappy with the leader's decision, but Ren grabbed her arm and whispered something in her ear. Blake suppressed a laugh at the boy's words, that apparently no one else had caught on, as she watched Nora giggling excitedly, and rushing to follow the rest of team JNPR outside.

Ruby continued to demolish the entire stock of food Beacon had to offer, and the girls stayed by her side, silently, just glad to see her return to her cheery self.

As she finished, burping after the last cup of milk, which earned her a scowl from Weiss, the red-hood jumped up from her seat. Blake glanced up towards the sudden movement, and found a set of impatient silver eyes staring back.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go see her!"

* * *

Penny was sitting on the floor of the storage room, eyelids closed to feign sleep, while she ran her system diagnostics to make sure everything was in order. Ruby had certainly done a number on her, the results came back with flying colors. She wasn't just restored, there were things that felt new, _different_. First of all, her skin was much smoother now, coated in a protective layer to shield her against electricity. It was also slightly warmer than usual, it appeared her friend had redirected her cooling system, spreading it around to allow heat to dissipate through the entire body, and making her feel a tad bit more _human_.

She smiled at the thought. _Human_. That word sounded strange, foreign, she knew she was synthetic, but leave it to Ruby to make her forget about it, make her feel… normal. _Not normal in a bad way_ , she added, flustered at the thought of hurting her friend in her mind.

Her physique was, nevertheless, not the only thing that had gone through transformation. Upon linking her to the dustweb, to allow her to update herself, the pair of repairwomen had inadvertently opened the floodgates to a stream of information barging inside her, and she felt overwhelmed by how much was going through her head, barely able to process the amount of knowledge now available to her.

Although, there was something bothering her. One concrete memory that did not seem to leave her alone, shouting above the loud ruckus of her consciousness. The prior night, as she finally regained the spark of life, she had woken up to a familiar body pressed against her. It was certainly welcome, as she realized it was her friend, the one who inhabited the last recollection of the day of the fateful storm, before agonizing pain had shut her down. In a way, if felt soothing, but that feeling was short lived, as a squirm from the other girl raised concern in her metallic heart.

Ruby was having a nightmare, and a very bad one, if her actions were a reliable source of information. Penny herself had never had a nightmare, incapable of regular sleep, but she was familiar with the concept, and her savior donned an expression of sorrow that was seriously worrying. And then, to make matters worse, she started to talk in her sleep.

"Don't leave me… please." The little girl begged, chocking up in her own words, eyes still firmly shut. "Promise me you won't leave. I _need_ you."

At that point, the android cradled the sleeping hooded girl in her arms, enveloping her in a quiet embrace, and whispered "I won't. I promise."

* * *

It was while she reflected on those past events, that the door to the room flung open, slamming wildly into the wall, and abruptly forcing her to forsake such gloom. She quickly restored her typical innocent smile, just in time to see Blake, Weiss and Yang walking in, pushed by a positively electric Ruby. They looked shaken, as if they had just been teleported at light speed to her doorway by _someone_ with a speed-related semblance. She giggled to herself. _Ruby is always the same_.

"Salutations, team RWBY!" She stood up, offering a welcoming grin, all while uttering her usual catchphrase. She had been made aware that it was not the most conventional way to greet people, but why would she care. They were her friends, after all.

"Well she certainly hasn't changed a bit." Yang said, containing her chuckle at the awkward robot.

"After all that work Ruby put in, she'd better." Weiss added, just before receiving an elbow to the ribs from her partner. "Okay, I may have helped a little."

"Thank you, Weiss." Penny voiced, slightly surprised the heiress would do such a thing. Having friends was still a new sensation, but one she wanted to experience for as long as she could.

"And how do you feel?" Ruby inquired, leaning forward to drink all she could from the forthcoming response.

"Sensational!" They all laughed. "Just like new, and these upgrades, I'm _really impressed_ , you did an amazing job!"

Ruby pouted and the ginger quickly corrected herself, waving her arms defensively. "Not that I doubted you could, I just wasn't expecting it, is all!"

The younger human started laughing uncontrollably, giving the Atlesian Droid time to realize she had just been tricked, making her blush furiously.

"It's certainly nice to know all this… drama wasn't wasted effort." Blake spoke, with a clear struggle not to sound too cynical.

She hadn't been present, at least not consciously, during the aforementioned drama, so she had no way to answer that, but with a smile. She took note to try and get as much intel as she could about what had transpired in her absence at a later time, and without prying too much of course.

Considering the data in front of her, she assumed it had been a difficult experience on her friends, and she took pity on their tired, but happy, faces. Yet when she decided to dismiss them, so they could rest before the classes they no doubt had ahead of them, something changed inside her.

Her eyes went blank, and she heard her own voice utter words that were not hers.

"Special offer today! Want to enlarge your p-"

"AW HELL NO!" was the last thing she heard before an emergency shut down.

* * *

When her systems went back online, something felt slightly lighter. Nothing big, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Checking her internal clock, she realized it was night time already. The white and red duo must've spent the entire day trying to fix her latest malfunction. Who would've know the secret weapon of the Atlas Military was susceptible to spam…

As she considered this, the door opened, and Ruby came inside, in her pajamas, carrying two pillows and her bright red sleeping bag. A _single_ sleeping bag, the robotic girl took mental note. Not that she needed one, but it was interesting nonetheless.

"Oh hey, you're awake again. Sorry about that, it seemed we forgot to block external access when we connected you to the dustweb… Boy, that would've awkward, if someone had tried gain control of you and ordered you to kill us all…" The scythe-wielder began rambling, but no effort to stop her was made. It was _dangerously_ cute, and Penny was going to enjoy the show while it lasted.

The other girl suddenly looked at the items she carried in her hands, and stopped immediately. "Oh, I thought I'd sleep here tonight, so, y'know, you wouldn't be alone…" She looked at the synthetic green eyes, asking silently if Penny wouldn't oppose. She hiccupped, trying to contain her laughter at the absurd notion that she wouldn't let her friend spend the night next to her. Strangely enough, that was all the information her newly-found roommate needed. A pillow was throw towards her, as the awkward babble started again.

"Hum, I only had one sleeping bag though, and the rest of the girls were already asleep, so I figured we could just open it wide and use it as a blanket…" This time she was interrupted.

"That sounds great, Ruby." The petite girl lit up like a christmas tree, and promptly prepared their shared quarters.

They lied down next to each other, and went silent. After a while, Ruby spoke up.

"Do you actually sleep, Penny?"

"Not like you do, but yes, in a way."

The red-hooded girl shut her eyes, satisfied with the answer, and let herself drift to sleep. She started to snore lightly, and slowly but surely crept closer to her friend, seeking her heat and comfort, and eventually nestling onto her lap. Penny did not move. She was where she wanted to be.

* * *

 **Did I say light-hearted? Sorry, I meant _cheesy as hell_. ****I promise the next chapter is angsty again.**

 **To the people who mentioned Penny coming back with no memories, I had considered that idea, and I like it (I kinda hope the show pulls it off), but it would've made for a much longer fic than I intended. Instead have some Terminator Penny jokes. I love those.**

 **Hope it wasn't too bad. Thanks again for the reviews, and meet me again next time, for some _fun, fun stuff._**


	4. Sorrow of the Past

**Y'know, the first chapter had Ruby crying almost the entire time, yet I still feel like this one's the heaviest. Digging up all those memories *shivers* wasn't super fun to write.**

 **But, alas, here it is. The end is nearing, so enjoy while you still can.**

* * *

 **4\. Sorrow of the Past**

As the night went on, Penny deactivated most of her functions and turned to introspection. It was a habit she had developed over time, enjoying the quiet to reflect on the events of the day. Not suffering from sleep deprivation was surely an advantage, but the coming of dusk meant most humans retreated back to their homes, and the possible activities decreased evidently. Therefore, she had constructed her own form of rest. It helped her to constantly improve herself, detecting and trying to correct her mistakes. It was part of what made her a powerful fighter, not sheer force, but cold calculation. She, after all, filled the role of puppet master, pulling the strings that defended and attacked according to her will.

She certainly had a lot to think about today, especially now that her mind was soothed, allowing her to sort out the new information at her disposal. She immediately started to delete all the improper videos her matrix had downloaded when linked to the web. Erasing information was such a useful ability, she had no idea how humans coped without it, but again, she also did not comprehend why they made such tapes. There was also a strange amount of cat memorabilia, but those ones she kept. She vaguely remembered Yang mentioning liking cats, so she made a mental note (quite literally) to show them to her.

Her train of thought was brought to a halt when she felt Ruby starting to squirm. _Oh no_ , _she's having a nightmare again_. And once more, the speedster went on to talk in her sleep.

"Don't go!" The robot shifted uncomfortably at the panicked pleas of her friend. It appeared to be the same dream that had plagued their previous night. "You promised."

Penny's concern grew by the second, grabbing her closer, the only way she had to help.

"Please… You promised, _mom_." The android froze in place, yet relieved to know she wasn't the one tormenting the little girl's slumber. She recalled something about Ruby's mother, but hadn't she died years ago? A feeling of powerlessness took over. There had to be a something she could do.

* * *

"Okay, what if I touch here?"

"Oh Ruby, that tickles!"

"Hmm. And how does it feel here?"

" _Oooh_ …"

Yang couldn't bear those horrid noises anymore. She was about to burst.

"Do you mind? Some of us are trying not to get emotionally scarred over here!" She yelled at the dorm's bathroom door, where her sister and her friend were currently holed up.

"Oh come on Yang! We need to test if the new anti-electricity layer works!" The team leader shouted back, ceasing her work for a moment.

 _Yeah but do you need so sound so…_ Yang didn't finish the thought in her head, struggling to find a word that didn't imply her sibling wasn't so sweet and innocent anymore. Frustrated at herself, and the girls, she stormed out to the gym, so she could clear her head.

Punching had always been the blonde's preferred method of relaxing. After a few rounds in the ring, she was feeling much better. She sighed in content and headed towards the shower.

The brawler still wasn't sure what to make of her sister's robotic companion. Sure, she was a sweet and electric girl, and they got along quite well, but there was some unease that Yang could never really overcome. She didn't want to see the red-hooded girl in pain, and the android had just been the cause for one of Ruby's harshest breakdowns in recent years. How was she just supposed to forgive and forget? No one had the right to hurt her sibling like that.

As cold the water ran down through her body, she cursed herself for being so overprotective, but she really couldn't be blamed. She had seen Ruby at her worst, and it wasn't pretty. No one else understood that. After Summer died and their father sunk into a depression, it was up to Yang to take care of the tiny silver-eyed child. It was hard on all of them, and the passing of year did nothing to help. For some time, she thought she would follow in her uncle's footsteps, dulling the pain away with alcohol, so she could be strong for her sister.

 _Strong._ The hothead chuckled. She was certainly a fighter, and that's what kept her alive. She had no option but to be strong.

Her sullen humor washed away with the bath, and she dried her hair, feeling lighter. Looking around, she wished Blake was there. She was in an awfully teasing mood. But as luck would have it, she walked out to find a ginger figure waiting for her.

"Hi Yang!" Penny smiled warmly, waving. How did she have such realistic expressions? It was distressing not being able to tell the difference. "Can we talk?"

Sighing deeply, she nodded and gestured for the other to follow her. They walked, and Yang took the opportunity to brush her luscious golden locks.

"It's… It's Ruby." The blonde gave her a stern look, to discourage her from bringing up any form of drama, but allowed her to proceed.

"She's been having nightmares. It sounds pretty bad, and I'm starting to get worried…" Those words made the dragon stop dead in her tracks. She closed her eyes and prayed she wasn't right about what would come next. But she was.

"I think it's about her mom. She-"

The speech was cut short by the sound of a wall being punched. A storm of sorrowful memories came back all at once, and the busty teen struggled with maintaining control over her actions. After what seemed like hours, she finally raised her head and turned back to the frightened robot. _This is not her fault_ , Yang reminded herself, despite not being entirely convinced of that.

"I know what you're talking about. She's had those nightmares for years, ever since… ever since Summer." She didn't elaborate, but she didn't have to. By now the atlesian girl surely knew.

Walking further, the brawler reached a bench a sat down, waving sideways to signal the other to follow suit. Resting her head on her hands, she continued to explain,

"Losing her mom left a scar in Ruby, and it never really healed. Whenever things get worse, the dreams start again." Glancing over, she noticed fear give way to terror in Penny's eyes. She couldn't help but smile sympathetically. She would've been shocked to hear that too.

"But she's- " the frail voice was cut off.

"Happy and bubbly? She is. But that doesn't mean she's not hurting, she just got better at hiding it." She responded with a sad expression, guilt piercing through her insides. _She learned from the best_. "She's usually okay, I guess this mess just brought it all to the surface."

The ginger hesitated for a second, then looked determined and asked Yang to retell what had happened during her 'involuntary absence'. It wasn't comfortable to relive it again, but she complied, knowing it also wouldn't be easy to hear.

By the time it was over, Penny looked a whole new kind of broken. Her fists were clenched, and the blonde was sure she'd be crying if her body allowed her to.

"It's not your fault, Pen." She said, squeezing the metallic girl's shoulder lightly. "You want to help her, right? Just… tell her you're not going anywhere."

A puzzled expression glanced back at her, prompting another monumental sigh. "Before Summer left, she promised Rubes she'd return. She didn't. Then the nightmares started, and she would run to my bed every night, checking if I was still there, if I hadn't _left her too..._ In the end, I think she's just afraid everyone she cares about will leave, just like mom did…"

The droid nodded back and her expression became unreadable, probably lost in thought. Then, surprisingly, she smiled. "I understand. Thank you." _Maybe she's not so bad after all._

The redhead got up and took a few steps, and then did a small twirl, with her innocent appearance back in display. "Oh Yang, almost forgot, you said you like cats, right?"

The blonde smirked, letting the darkness dissipate from her heart. Now _THIS_ she was curious to hear.

* * *

Ruby was sitting outside, letting the cold evening breeze pinch her skin. It wasn't usual for her to be found like this, so quiet, but she liked the moonlight, she was drawn to it, something almost _primal_ about it.

She heard footsteps nearing, but didn't turn, recognizing the origin of the energetic sounds.

"Hey Ruby! Can I join you?"

"Of course, Penny." She always felt glad to have the android at her side. The ginger sat down and they both stared at the moon, simply enjoying each other's presence. Until Penny broke the silence, with a question the speedster hoped would never be asked.

"So, I was wondering… When I stopped working, why didn't you send me back to Atlas? Not that I'm not grateful for what you did, but my father could've fixed me too, there was no need to work yourself to exhaustion for me." Apparently she had already been filed in on the details of the uneventful past week, Ruby noted. Her eyes were filled with water, but luckily her friend couldn't see it. She mustered all the courage she had to respond.

"I… I was worried that if I gave you over to Ironwood, they wouldn't let you come back!" Her voice was practically a shout, facing away from the other girl.

Suddenly, arms reached from behind and wrapped around her waist, and she was pulled into a soft embrace.

"Ruby, don't be silly. I'm not going anywhere." Sadly, the red-hood was not easy to reassure. She rotated slightly to look the robot in the eyes, and, nervously inquired.

"Do you promise?" She received a kind smile in return, and felt warmth irradiate through her chest.

"I promise."

Silence fell between them again. Minutes went by, as the girls stayed still, enveloped in their one-sided hug. Finally, Penny moved one hand upwards, and started to playfully toy with her companion's hair. She couldn't have known what a mistake that was.

Flashbacks of her mother began overflowing the petite girl's mind, set in motion by that small gesture. The sorrow of the past assaulted Ruby, who bit her lower lip hard, trying to contain it. But a sob managed escape its prison, and, against all her wishes, she started to cry once again, shivering violently as tears rolled past her cheeks.

The presence behind her made a sudden movement, and the youngster quickly turned to face the synthetic girl, thinking she was trying to get up. Instead she was surprised with something else entirely.

She saw Penny leaning in, and planting a kiss on her lips.

* * *

 **Oh come on, don't look at me like that! Don't even pretend you're surprised, or that I didn't warn you. We all knew this was going to happen.**

 **And it's not like the story's over. There's still one more chapter, and I swear it's not them porking. Why did Penny do it? How will Ruby react?  
**

 **Wait, where are you going? Please don't leave! I'm sorry about all the jokes about porn and cat memes! I'll make it up to you! I promise there'll be angst!**


	5. Don't Go

**And so we meet again, one last time. Starting where we left off, this time from Penny's perspective.  
**

 **This is the beginning of the end, reader...**

* * *

 **5\. Don't Go**

"I promise."

Without any form of warning, Ruby was weeping in her arms. Penny had no idea what had just happened, but the sound pierced though her heart like a blade. She couldn't let this be, her friend would not be sad while she could help it. _Her friend._ Was she her friend? Did friends go on a self-destructive rampage to restore the other back to life, or fall asleep in each other's arms every night? There were so many questions inside her at the moment, but with effort she managed to silence them. It did not matter, nothing mattered, not when the scythe-wielding huntress was in tears right before her. It had to stop, she wouldn't allow such gloom anymore. So she did the only thing that came to mind.

She kissed Ruby.

The swarm of sensations was indescribable, every electrical connection in her body suddenly so strongly noticeable. She cursed her creator in her head for not having given her taste buds, left only to imagine what the other girl's lips tasted like. Probably cookies, from the scent she recognized, but it wasn't important. Because this sense of bliss was overwhelming, and she didn't want to ever let go. Sadly, she wasn't given the choice.

The speedster broke off the contact, shuffling to her feet in a hurry. When the android looked up, she saw those beautiful silver eyes stare back at her, tainted with unbelieving panic. The girl's mouth opened, but no words came out, never ceasing to cry.

"Ruby, I'm…" But she had already disappeared, leaving only a trail of scattered red petals in her stead. "…sorry."

Sorry didn't even began to describe it. Penny wanted to scream, but her throat was clenched. She wanted to cry, but her metallic body did not allow her to. Ruby, her friend, her only and best friend, the one person she cared about in this lonely world, was hurt. And it was all because of her. She could not bear the pain that was ripping through her whole, aching in places she didn't know she had, such agony that she thought she would shut down. How could she have been so stupid, thinking the red-hooded fighter would return her feelings?

 _Feelings_. Maybe they were just a malfunction in her system. She wasn't even sure how she felt about Ruby. She only knew she did not want to be apart from her. And now she had ruined that beyond recovery. There was no penance for her mistakes. She did not know what to do.

* * *

Yang was sitting on the lower bunk bed, besides her partner who was concentrated in her most recent book. Across from them lied Weiss, who had a few loose notes in front of her, but made no attempt to pretend she was still studying, repeatedly glancing expectantly at the door. She was clearly worried about the current location of their wayward leader. Yang was too, but she figured her sister was busy having a long-overdue meeting with her weaponized-friend, on the topics of her own conversation with the same girl earlier that day.

Their curiosities were satiated when, in a flash, Ruby emerged from the entranced she had just barged into, near toppling to the floor. Regaining her footing, she looked around, noticing her teammates, and froze for a second, before turning back to the door in an attempt to leave. Her motion was interrupted by a cold hand that grabbed her arm, and three faces stared back at her, by now all aware of her intensely reddened eyes.

"Ruby, what the hell happened to you?" Weiss spoke up, to Yang's great satisfaction. She was too busy burying her anger to be able to engage the problem in front of them.

The speedster resumed her weep, losing all strength in her knees. The heiress practically leaped forward, grabbing her before she hit the ground.

"…Penny…" The redhead managed to let out between sobs, to which her sister could only clench her fists in fury. This was not right, she had given the robot clear instructions. Detailed plans of how she would rip every single part of that despicable metallic body started flying through her head. Benefit of doubt was out the window, the atlesian had to go.

"…she… she kissed me." The room fell silent, shock overcoming everyone inside. The brawler's eyes were no longer lilac, and fire had already started covering her body. She could only see red, revenge clouding her mind.

Yet suddenly a hand reached for hers and tugged at it, kind but strong. All rage dissipated and she felt a strange calm, as if nothing had happened. She threw a grateful smile at Blake, not letting go of her hand, who nodded but gestured her to pay attention to what was going on in the opposite side of the room.

The other two girls, oblivious to Yang's slight breakdown, were completely still, apart from the scythe-wielder's sniffles. The Ice Queen had an expression of intense dread, still holding her partner steady. Swallowing hard, Weiss snapped out of her daze.

"So? What is the problem? I thought you'd be happy about this." Her voice was firm, and her look unyielding. Ruby shut her eyes and shook her head rapidly.

"I don't… I don't know!"

"What is there not to know? You like her, do you not? And don't even try to deny it, we've all seem that dumb wide grin you have whenever you come back from your little 'dates'!"

The team leader glanced over, a glint of silver asking their opinion on the matter. Blake nodded, quietly suppressing a laugh. Yang did not interject, allowing the conversation to continue.

"See? So, I repeat. What is the problem?"

"I'm… scared."

The heiress sighed. "Of course you are! But that is no reason to simply run away! Just because you're fast doesn't mean you can flee from everything. I bet you left her all alone there, didn't you?"

The youngster's eyes were wide in disbelief, clearly not having even considered that. She wiped the tears off her face, looking somewhat better.

"You are going to take a shower, get a hold of yourself, and then go after that woman." The ivory-haired demanded, almost reprimanding her friend. Ruby nodded feebly, and let herself be pushed into the bathroom.

As the door closed, Yang stood up and grabbed Weiss' arm, giving it a strong squeeze and directing a knowing smile at her. "Thank you."

The heiress only responded with a sad smile, pain cracking through her ice mask.

* * *

The bath made her feel much better, restoring strength to her weakened muscles and removing any traces of tears from her face. Weiss was right, she had to stop running away. In her fear of loss, she hadn't even realized that now she was the one leaving.

Despite her happy demeanor, she avoided anyone getting too close, save a few exceptions like her teammates. That way they couldn't hurt her. But it was high time she faced her own ghosts, without letting others pay the price of her struggle.

She stepped outside and started her search for the robotic girl, but she was nowhere to be found. It had already been a long night, so she eventually was forced to give up and return to the dorm. No one said a word, even though she knew they were awake despite the darkness inside the room. Her mission had to wait until the morning, which seemed to take forever to come.

* * *

After dawn, Ruby ran the entire length of the school, with growing concern at the absence of the one she sought. As she made a second round, her sniper-trained sight spotted a familiar figure near the entrance to the dorms. The scythe wielder stopped at a safe distance, observing the scene before her.

Penny was pacing back and forth rapidly, mumbling to herself, inner conflict stamped on her face. With some effort, the red-hooded girl managed to catch some of it.

"I have to… but she… no, I can't… it's my fault…" That last part made Ruby decide not to wait anymore, figuring out that this conflict had to be solved sooner rather than later, for both their sakes. She stepped onwards and touched the android's arm, who yelped loudly at the contact, not having noticed her approach.

"Penny, I've been looking all over for you! Where were you?"

The atlesian robot opened and closed her mouth, not saying a word. It was then that youngster noticed the large backpack besides them.

"Are you… are you going somewhere?"

"I'm not sure…"

"But you promised! You promised you wouldn't leave!" At this point the youngster was practically begging, her tone loud and desperate. It couldn't end like this, not after all they'd been through.

"Why do you want even want me to stay, Ruby?" The ginger asked with guilt in her eyes. "After I… after what I did."

The student under the red-hood could not understand was she heard. It made no sense, why was she acting like this?

"I hurt you, friend. I just don't want to be a reason for you to be in pain." She continued, almost expressionless, and with a swift movement picked up her backpack.

 _NO!_ She couldn't allow her to leave. She couldn't let the android walk out of her life.

"Penny please don't go! I… I LOVE YOU!" The panicked scream that came out of her throat surprised her, words she had not thought to pronounce. There was a faint sting in her heart, from having to say out loud something she had not admitted even to herself. She felt vulnerable, naked and bare for the world to see, her feelings laid clearly on the table.

The atlesian robot, turned on her heel and stared back, mouth agape and eyes wide in bewilderment. She took some time to process what she'd just heard, every second weighing further on Ruby's chest.

She faced the ground, unable to handle the ginger's gaze anymore. Then she sensed the figure in front of her taking a step forward. Ruby looked up, in time to see her arm being grabbed and her whole body pinned against the wall. Only then did Penny kiss her. And this time, Ruby kissed back.

* * *

"Well, they are totally making out right now. Like, intense stuff." Yang said as she leaned off of the window and placed her binoculars down. _Could you be a little less nosey?_ Blake thought to herself.

"Finally. Now can you stop being an ass about it?"

The blonde scratched her chin, considering her options, and then gave her a mischievous grin.

"Not. A. Chance." The faunus rolled her eyes at her partner. "Besides, what are you talking about? My ass is amazing!"

The raven-haired huntress hid her face beneath her book, pretending not to have heard that. She soon realized what a lapse of judgment that was.

"Oh come on, like I haven't seen you staring at it."

She buried herself further behind the pages. _Goddamnit, Yang._

* * *

 **It's over. I gotta say, it was a blast writing this. Playing with darker themes for these characters, and working with the scars of their pasts, was a lot of fun.**

 **Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed, for keeping me confident that I was doing something right. Also thanks to Popper100 on Reddit for the useful input. And thank you Microsoft Word's synonym function for helping with my lack of English vocabulary.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this first attempt at fanfiction. Hopefully it wasn't too bad. Baby steps.  
**

 **And who knows, maybe one day I'll write more. Time will tell ;)**


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